Stuffer box crimper lubricating system

ABSTRACT

In a stuffer-box crimper for textile fibers having cooperating crimper rolls, a stuffer box associated with said crimper rolls to accommodate the entry of said fibers and an assembly of crimper disc and crimper disc holder positioned on each side of the nip of said crimper rolls in such manner that said crimper discs are maintained in contact with the edges of said crimper rolls, the improvement wherein said crimper disc and said crimper discs holder have conduits therein which are aligned such that lubricant can be passed through said conduits to the areas of said contact.

United States Patent Baken [451 May 16,1972

[54] STUFFER BOX CRIMPER LUBRICATING SYSTEM [72] Inventor: J. A. G. Baken, Lwyndrecht, Netherlands [73] Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours 8; Company,

Wilmington, Del.

[22] Filed: Aug. 18, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 64,737

[52] US. Cl ..28/l.6 51 Int. Cl ..D02g 1/12 [58] Field ofSearch ..28/1.6, 1.7, 72.14; 308/172 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,311,174 2/1943 Hitt ..28/1.6 2,747,233 5/1956 Hitt ..28/1.6

202,997 4/1878 Collet ..308/172 541,303 6/1895 Whitney .....308/l 72 2,846,729 8/1958 Sonnino 28/7214 X 3,220,083 1 1/1965 Crawford et al ..28/1.6

Primary Examiner-Robert R. Mackcy Attorney-Howard P. West, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT In a sniffer-box crimper for textile fibers having cooperating crimper rolls, a stuffer box associated with said crimper rolls to accommodate the entry of said fibers and an assembly of crimper disc and crimper disc holder positioned on each side of the nip of said crimper rolls in such manner that said crimper discs are maintained in contact with the edges of said crimper rolls, the improvement wherein said crimper disc and said crimper discs holder have conduits therein which are aligned such that lubricant can be passed through said conduits to the areas of said contact.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 1 6 m2 3, 662,439

INVENTOR JOZEF A. G. BAKEN ATTORNEY STUFFER BOX CRIMPER LUBRICATING SYSTEM This invention relates to the crimping of textile fibers and more particularly to a more effective means for lubrication of the stuffer-box crimper apparatus employed for crimping textile fibers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Stuffer-box crimpers are well known in the art, as illustrated, for example, by the Hitt U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,233 and the Dennis U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,270. In such apparatus, a pair of cooperating rolls are used to force (or stuff) a bundle of textile fibers, e.g., filamentary tow, into a stuffer box, of suitable dimensions to accommodate the entry of said fibers, against the restraint imposed by a regulated force which tends to restrict egress of fibers from the box. An important feature of such apparatus is a pair of assemblies of crimper discs and crimper disc holders which are positioned on each side of the nip of said crimper rolls in such manner that said crimper discs are maintained in contact with the edges of said crimper rolls. The discs prevent lateral migration of fibers from the highcompaction zone immediately downstream from the nip of the rolls. They are urged against the edges of the rolls and become worn by contact therewith. The sharp edges of depressions developed in the discs as they wear can damage fibers, especially the filaments in a filamentary tow, which contact them; thus, the discs must be replaced at a frequency dependent on, among other things, the effectiveness of any lubrication present.

It is common practice to rely on the lubricant properties of the textile finish previously applied to the fibers to minimize the wear of crimper discs. A means for more positive lubrication of the areas of contact between crimper discs and crimper rolls would significantly improve efficiency of the crimping process along with any other simultaneous operations associated with crimping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides an improvement in a stuffer-box crimper wherein the crimper disc and crimper disc holder have conduits therein which are aligned such that lubricant can be passed through said conduits to the areas of contact between the discs and crimper rolls.

This invention further provides a means for maintaining a given orientation between said crimper disc and said crimper disc holder.

This invention therefore provides a means for more positive lubrication of the crimper apparatus.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With the apparatus of this invention, lubrication of the critical wear areas of discs and rolls can be accomplished by the addition of suitable oils as required for minimizing wear.

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Harmful contamination of the crimped product can be avoided by choice of an oil which is easily scoured from the filaments; such oils are conveniently found among those lubricants adapted for use as textile finishes.

In order to enhance lubrication, it is preferred that each crimper disc have at least one conduit opening in the area of contact between the crimper disc and the edge of the crimper roll.

Suitable means for maintaining a given orientation between the crimper disc holder and crimper disc is a locating pin linking the disc to the holder.

The invention is further detailed in the description which follows, taken with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of a stuffer-box crimper of the type useful in the practice of this invention partly in cross section, the section being taken as indicated by the line 1-1 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along lines 2 2 of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are two elevation views giving details of the holder and disc assembtlg.

With reference to e Figures, filamentary tow 1, from source not shown, is forcibly fed into stuffer-box 2 by crimper rolls 3. Clapper 4 is urged closed by means schematically illustrated by weight 5. Discs 6, mounted in holders 7, are held in place against the edges of rolls 3 by means not shown. Lubricant is fed, from source not shown, through conduits 9, 10 and 10a (FIGS. 3 and 4) in holders 7 to conduits 11 and 11a in discs 6. By means of locating pins 12 and 12a, conduits l l and 11a are maintained in register with the ends of conduits l0 and 10a such that lubricant can be provided to the areas of contact between the discs and both edges of each roll 3, thereby minimizing wear of both discs and rolls.

Significant improvements in both operation efficiency and average product quality have been realized by the use of apparatus of this invention in the production of crimped synthetic tow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a stuffer-box crimper for textile fibers having a pair of cooperating crimper rolls, a stuffer-box associated with said crimper rolls to accommodate the entry of said fiber and an assembly of crimper discs and crimper disc holders positioned on each side of the nip of said crimper rolls, each crimper disc being in contact with an area of both crimper rolls, the improvement comprising said crimper discs and said crimper disc holders having conduits therein, each said disc holder conduit being connected at one end to a source of liquid lubricant and branching into plural conduits at the other end, each said disc provided with a conduit for each area of contact between said rolls and the disc with the conduits of each disc in communication with the branches in the corresponding disc holder; and means for maintaining a given orientation between said discs and their respective holders. 

1. In a stuffer-box crimper for textile fibers having a pair of cooperating crimper rolls, a stuffer-box associated with said crimper rolls to accommodate the entry of said fiber and an assembly of crimper discs and crimper disc holders positioned on each side of the nip of said crimper rolls, each crimper disc being in contact with an area of both crimper rolls, the improvement comprising said crimper discs and said crimper disc holders having conduits therein, each said disc holder conduit being connected at one end to a source of liquid lubricant and branching into plural conduits at the other end, each said disc provided with a conduit for each area of contact between said rolls and the disc with the conduits of each disc in communication with the branches in the corresponding disc holder; and means for maintaining a given orientation between said discs and their respective holders. 